Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nuwara Eliya Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nuwara Eliya

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 4.8% more expensive than Nuwara Eliya without rent, and 63.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 9.8% more expensive than Nuwara Eliya without rent, and 50.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$4.00 LKR 1,238

-50.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$24.88 LKR 7,700

-24.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$8.39 LKR 2,598

-5.60%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.7

$2.68 LKR 829

-24.63%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ฿26.45

$0.73 LKR 225

15.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.07

$0.40 LKR 124

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$2.29 LKR 710

-3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$3.30 LKR 1,022

8.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.4

$1.71 LKR 528

-2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$0.52 LKR 161

211.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.83

$0.87 LKR 271

37.93%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$2.19 LKR 677

-11.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$13.88 LKR 4,297

15.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$4.58 LKR 1,416

-31.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿344

$8.13 LKR 2,516

34.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$7.60 LKR 2,353

-64.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.99

$1.08 LKR 333

9.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$5.96 LKR 1,846

-72.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.83

$1.26 LKR 389

26.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.64

$1.11 LKR 342

18.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.49

$1.43 LKR 442

-16.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.20

$1.19 LKR 368

-40.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.75

$0.56 LKR 173

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$10.07 LKR 3,117

-53.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$13.49 LKR 4,176

40.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.7

$1.99 LKR 617

-11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$2.92 LKR 905

9.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.78

$0.39 LKR 120

248.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.37

$0.33 LKR 101

309.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$0.60 LKR 186

1258.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.43

$1.26 LKR 391

-3.17%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.4K ฿671.8K

$26.6K LKR 8.2M

-19.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.7K ฿683.8K

$35.2K LKR 10.9M

-38.18%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$70.3 ฿2,210

$60.6 LKR 18.8K

16.04%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.91 ฿437

$4.29 LKR 1,329

224.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$15.05 LKR 4,659

19.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,314

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$3.27 LKR 1,013

74.92%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$308 ฿9,693

$37.31 LKR 11.5K

726.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.7K

$449 LKR 138.9K

3199.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,756

$27.44 LKR 8,493

103.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿840

$19.38 LKR 5,997

37.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,658

$68.9 LKR 21.3K

22.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,227

$38.22 LKR 11.8K

85.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,439

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.45

-69.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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